NONE
Research and development of this invention and Application have not been federally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.
NOT APPLICABLE
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the removal of oil-based contaminants from bilge water being discharged from a boat or ship, in general, and to a new and improved bilge water filter apparatus which is both readily serviceable and highly effective, in particular.
2. Description of the Related Art
A is well known and understood, in inboard and inboard/outboard motorized vessels, a certain amount of oil as leaks from the engine, the transmissions and the various outdrives remains in the bilge area until such time as the operator of the vessel determines to purge the accumulation. Typically, the purging is done by using a motorized bilge pump system if available, or by the simple removal of a bilge plug.
As will be appreciated, when purging the accumulation, the operator is discharging mixtures of water and oil into lakes, lagoons, bays, rivers or oceans where the craft is sailingxe2x80x94and if done on dry land, the discharge flows into the soil and/or into the streets. Ultimately, the discharge can lead to extensive environmental destructionxe2x80x94or if done on dry land, to something as simple as an oil slick on the ground which can cause a motor vehicle accident. Additionally, the discharge can lead to wildlife impairing damage, as well as significant clean-up costs where an area of contamination rises above an accepted level of pollution.
As is also well known, extensive legislation has been enacted worldwide in recent years to maintain clean waters. As a part of a dramatically increased spending program, this legislation and its accompanying regulations have been strictly applied against boaters, boat dealers, and boating service centers who might otherwise discharge oil and other petroleum-based contaminants into the water. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, one particular concern involves the bilge water which is periodically discharged from the hulls of boats, and which typically includes gasoline, transmission and power steering fluid, cleaning solvent and paint accumulations.
Obviously, a filtration system that secures the safety of the environment, and provides a means of effectively cleaning these waste materials inexpensively and simply is highly desirable. One approach that has been proposed to accomplish this is that described in application Ser. No. 09/680,181 entitled xe2x80x9cExternally Mounted Bilge Water Filter and Methods Thereforxe2x80x9d, in describing the use of a disposable filter. Analysis and investigation, however, have shown that serviceable filters oftentimes are more effective than disposable filters in removing contaminantsxe2x80x94and, over the long haul, are more economical to use in providing optimum results. Analysis and investigation have further shown, moreover, that there exists a significant need for a filtration system usable both by boating service centers and boaters themselves when dealing with the bilge water discharge on land, when such a fixed filter has not been incorporated as part of the boat manufacture. There, too, a need exists to collect the oil and other petroleum-based contaminants in preventing their soaking into the soil and requiring extensive remediation in clean-up.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide an enhanced bilge water filter apparatus for oil-based contaminants.
It is object of the present invention, also, to provide such apparatus which offers a high degree of contaminant removal, at a relatively inexpensive cost.
It is another object of the invention to provide such apparatus which is easily serviceable in use.
It is a further object of the invention to provide this enhanced bilge water filter apparatus so as to be usable on land, both by a boat dealer and boating service center, and by the individual weekend boater himself.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide such apparatus which allows adaptation in a variety of different manners.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such apparatus which allows this adaptation in a variety of different sizes.
As will become clear from the following description, the apparatus of the invention relies on the molecular weight difference between water and oil by which the oil always floats on top. As will also be seen, the operation relies on the availability of filter pads which allow water to pass through quite easily, but which absorb oil-based contaminants. Following the realization that the longer the xe2x80x9cdwell timexe2x80x9d is of the oil on the water while in contact with the filter pads, the greater the oil-based contaminant absorption will be, the apparatus of the invention incorporates this through the utilization of a generally U-configured pipe aligned vertically within an enclosed casing.
As will become clear from the description that follows, the enclosed casing aligns the pipe in vertical orientation, with the oil-based contaminant bilge water being inputted into the casing by way of an inlet included in its top surface. A first open end of the U-configured pipe is overlaid by a layer of material restrictive to the flow of any oil-based contaminant in the bilge water, while a second open end of the pipe (also overlaid by the layer) is coupled with an outlet of the casing. A plurality of the filter pads are added atop the overlying layer, adapted to absorb the oil-based contaminants in the bilge water. With the overlying layer including a coarse gravel or charcoal mixture, for instance, the oil-based contaminants in the inputted bilge water will be prevented from flowing to the first open end of the U-configured pipe. With the bilge water inputted above the overlying layer, the oil-based contaminants thus rise as the water level in the casing rises, to then be absorbed by the filter pads floating on the water""s surface. As the water level continues to dwell in the casing, more-and-more of the oil-based contaminants thus become absorbed, to the extent that a removable lid provided in the top surface of the casing in one embodiment of the invention can then be removed by a user, to simply reach in and remove and replace the filter pads as they become filled. With the second open end of the U-configured pipe coupling to the outlet downwardly below the overlying coarse material, the discharge becomes one of substantially contaminant-free water only. Testing has shown that well over 90% of the introduced oil-based contaminants can be removed in this manner. When employed at a boating service center, the casing can be provided with at least one downwardly extending wheel and with a rearwardly extending handle to allow its movement about the boat yard by a pushing on, or a pulling of, the handle. When employed by a boater, on the other hand, a much smaller unit could suffice, to the extent that the wheel(s) and handle could be eliminated, and the filter apparatus could simply be carried about. In either event, the inlet in the top surface of the casing is aligned under the bilge water outlet of the boat, whose plug is then removed and the bilge water captured by gravity flow. A clean-out could be additionally providedxe2x80x94at a side surface of the casing, for examplexe2x80x94to enable a scooping-out of some of the contaminant as it floats on the rising water in the casing, and deposited in a bucket or pail.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the enclosed casing is selected to have a horizontal axis of length dimension greater than an included vertical axis of height dimension to facilitate the placement of the casing below the bilge water discharge outlet of the vessel. Individual ones of the plurality of filter pads are horizontally aligned in columns, vertically spaced one from anotherxe2x80x94and to further enhance the absorption provided, the filter pads may be additionally spaced one from another in one or more rows. As the oil-based contaminated bilge water rises in the casing, more and more of the filter pads will be understood to come into play in absorbing the oil-based contaminants, while allowing the substantially contaminant-free bilge Water to pass. In this embodiment, with the casing outlet included within a bottom surface, that outlet effectively receives substantially contaminant-free bilge water for discharge into the ground.
Thus, the bilge water filter apparatus of the invention will be understood to include the casing, its inlet and outlet, the overlying coarse material layer, the U-configured pipe and the absorption filter pads. Because the petroleum products, are of lesser molecular weight than that of the water, the oil contamination floats on top; and as the casing fills with the contaminated bilge water, the filtration process continues to allow sufficient dwell time for the oils and water to separate, with the filter pads absorbing the oil molecules while permitting only contaminant-free water to pass and drain from the outlet. Any oils that might still remain, continue, however, to be prevented from escaping to the casing outlet by virtue of the gravel/charcoal mixture or similar coarse material layer.
With a provided handle and wheel arrangement, the bilge water filter apparatus is portable, for pushing and pulling about a yard from boat to boatxe2x80x94a 20 gallon casing might then be employed, for example. For a smaller unitxe2x80x942 gallons or soxe2x80x94, and without the handle or wheel configuration, a boater could carry the casing himself/herself to service their own vessel.